Trigger control mechanism



May 15, 1945. w. H. DARDENNE TRIGGER CONTROL MECHANISM l Filed Dec. 9, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 u m V5. W mm May E5, 1945. vv. H. D'ARDENNE TRIGGER CONTROL. MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fiied Dec. 9, 1943 Patented May l5, 1945 i` STATES TENT OFFICE TRIGGER CONTROL MECHANISM vania Application December 9, 1943, Serial No. 513,512

3 Claims. (Cl. 89-1) This invention relates to a Vtrigger control mechanism for machine guns such as the cal. .50 Browning machine gun. More particularly the invention relates to a trigger control mechanism adapted to be positioned on the inner surface of a Icradle lplate in a machine gun mount, said trigger control mechanism being provided with a firing lug adapted to engage with the firing lug on the side plate trigger on the gun.

Trigger control mechanisms for machine guns are known which operate in the same manner as the present invention, but such trigger control mechanism because of rigid requirements of strength, size and the like, have heretofore been made principally of forged pieces. Because of the particular size and shape of the parts the manufacture of such mechanisms from forgings has proved extremely dimcult and costly and the production of these articles in mass production amounts, though tried by a numberA of manufacturers, has proved virtually an impossibility.

The diiculties encountered in manufacture reached serious proportions and While many attempts were made to solve the difficulties little or no tangible improvements resulted.

The present invention has for its principal object the provision of a trigger control mechanism constructed of a number of parts which are simply manufactured and assembled so that the mechanism possesses all of the characteristics of size and strength possessed by trigger control mechanisms of this type made up of forged and machined parts.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a trigger control mechanism many of the principal parts of which are stamped from sheet metal, and the remaining parts requiring but relatively few and simple machining operations.

Still a further object of the invention resides in the provision of a trigger control 'mechanism which may be easily and quickly manufactured by mass production methods and at a greatly reduced cost.

Another object of the invention is the provision parts in accordance with prior known practices.

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l. i

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a -front elevation of a trigger control mechanism made up principally of stamped sheet metal parts in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 4, and

Figure '7 is an exploded perspective view of a trigger control mechanism in accordance with the present invention.

The manifold difculties in manufacturing trigger control mechanism heretofore are best illustrated by a brief explanation of Figures l, 2 and 3 which show the most-advanced type of trigger control mechanism used prior to the present invention.

Such a mechanism was comprised of a main body 2 of substantially rectangular form and provided with an integral ridge ll disposed along the longitudinal center of the body on the under side thereof. This ridge is adapted to engage in a complementary groove in the inner surface of a cradle plate on a gun mount (not shown). The body is provided with holes such as 5 to enable the device to be secured to such a cradle plate.

The upper surface of the body is stepped so that the rear end portion E of the body isv of less thickness than the forward end portion 8. This latter portion is provided with an upstanding portion IB which is disposed along the longitudinal center. The portion I0 is comprised of two parallel side walls I2 and I4, the space between the walls being in the form of a U-shaped groove or cut-'out i6 extending the length of the portion l0. Substantially intermediate the cut-out, the side walls of the portion I0 extend inwardly to form a substantially U-shaped spacer element I8.

The inner surfaces of the side walls I2 and I4 near their top edges are provided with longitudinal grooves 20 and 22 which serve as guides for the slide assembly 24, the cross section of which is clearly shown in Fig. 2. The slide assembly 24 is provided at its rear end with a downwardly projecting lug 26 provided with a hole for the passage of a guide pin 28. The forward end of the slide assembly has an angle piece 30 secured thereto by the screw 32. The upper surface of the slide assembly is provided with an integral upstanding firing lug 34, the rear surface of which is arc shaped and the forward surface of which is beveled from top to bottom.

When assembled the slide assembly 24 is guided by the grooves 26 and 22. The guide pin 28 eX- tends through the hole in the lug 26 and through the U-shaped opening in the spacer element I8. The guide pin 28 is provided with collar 36 which normally engages the spacer element I8. A

spring 33 is disposed on the guide pin between ythe lug 26 and the collar 36.

That portion of the guide pin 28 forwardly of the spacer element I8 is disposed in another spring 40 one end of which engages the spacer element I8 and the other end of which is vheld centered by a spherical lug 42 riveted to the angle piece '30( i The rear end of the guide pin 28 is threaded to receive the lock nuts 44, 46 and an eye 48.

The trigger control mechanism just described is made of steel forgings which are then machined and it will be apparent to anyone skilled'in this art that the task of manufacture is almost .impossible of accomplishment particularly in quantity mass production. This has proved true and some of the difficulties in manufacture have resulted from the shape of the elements, the size and shape of the cut-out I6 Yand the U-shaped spacer element I8, the location of the guide grooves 26 and 22, the shapev of the slide assembly with its lugs 26 and 34 and the lcontour of its sides. Aside from the numerous forging operations, the manufacture of this trigger control mechanism requires some forty-six delicate, costly and time-consuming machining operations, many of which are diiiicult principally because of the location of the portions on the forged pieces to be machined.

The present invention avoids a great percentage of these serious drawbacks and results in a trigger control mechanism which is equally as eicient in operation, light in weight, greatly reduced in cost,'and which in the main can be quickly and easily made of sheet metal stamped parts with but a few machining operations. These advantages of the present invention shall be manifest from the illustrations in Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 and the following description thereof.

In accordance with the present invention the body is comprised of three stampings, namely, a base plate 56, a U-shaped body yoke 52 and a spacer element 54.

The base plate 56 is constructed of a rectangular piece of sheet metal with the side portions being bent back on the upper surface of the sheet and then upwardly to form the walls 56, 58 (see Figs. and 7). The base plate 50 is provided on its under surface at each end with longitudinally extending ridges 6|! and 62 which are formed by a punching operation. These perform the func tion of the ridge 4 in the device shown in Figs. l, 2 ,and 3. The base plate Y56 is also provided with a rectangular opening 64 and with holes 65 for securing the device to the cradle plate of a gun mount (not shown).

The body yoke 52 is formed from a rectangular piece of sheet metal stamped into a U-shaped channel section with laterally extending anges 66. 68 at its upperends. The bottom of the body yoke 52 is providedwith a transverse slot 16 and two threaded holes 'I2 .and 14.

The width of the body yoke is such that it lcan be tted within the side walls .56, 58 of the base plate 5D. It is secured in place by brazing or other suitable means. v

In accordance with the invention the spacer element 54 is formed as a separate piece from a rectangular sheet of metal provided with an elongated hole so that Whenthe piece is stamped into the position shown in Fig. '7, the element has a base 'I6 and an upstanding portion 'I8 provided with a U-shaped opening 80.

The invention employs a slide assembly 84 comprised of a slide 86, a firing lug 88 and two reinforcing angles 90 and 92. The slide 86 is formed from a rectangular piece of sheet metal having two longitudinally extending tabs 94, 96

which during manufacture are bent downwardly as rshown in Fig. '7. These tabs are provided with holes. The side edges of the slide 85 are bent downwardly and .then inwardly. The firing lug 88 is a forged and machined piece, the operative portion V'68 of which passes through an opening |00 in the slide as shown in Figure 6. The lug is brazed or otherwise secured to the slide.

The two reinforcing angles 90 and 92 are brazed Vin the positions shown in Fig. 6 where they act to reinforce the tabs 94, 96. rThe angle 90 has an opening aligning with the hole in the tab 94. Angle 92 is adapted to receive a spring centering lug |02.

As in the trigger control mechanism illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3, the present invention employs a lguide rod or pin |04 provided with a collar |06 intermediate its ends, and lock nuts |08, H0, and an eye ||2. Springs |I4 and ||6 are disposed on the guide rod |04 in a manner similar to that heretofore employed.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show clearly the position of the elements when the device is assembled. Fig. 5 in particular shows how the side edges of the slide 86 engage over the flanges on the body yoke 52 to guide the slide for longitudinal sliding movement with respect to the body yoke and base plate.

It should now be manifest that the invention results in a strong but lighter trigger control mechanism which can be easily and quickly manufactured, principally from sheet metal stampings. Moreover, it should now be apparent that the invention eliminates a great number of difficult forging and machining operations and consequently reduces the cost of the article materially. In actual practice the invention has resulated in a cost reduction of about 66%.

It will be clear that minor changes in the size and shape of the elements and their relative disposition can be effected within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A trigger control mechanism for machine gun mounts and the like, comprising, a base member of sheet metall the parallel side portions of which are bent back upon themselves and then at right angles to form parallel spaced walls. a substantially U-shaped sheet metal body yoke disposed between said side walls and secured to the base member andsaid walls, said body yoke having laterally extending flanges on its outer edges, a slide comprised of a substantially rectangular sheet with depending end tabs, the side edges being curved inwardly for sliding engagement with said anges, a firing lug carried by ing portion of the yoke extending through the slot inlsaid yoke, a guidepin provided with an eye at one end and a collar intermediate its length, said guide pin extending through one end tab of said slide with the collar normally engaging said upstanding portion, a coil spring on said guide pin between said one end tab and said collar, and a second coil spring on said guide pin between said upstanding portion and the other end tab.

2. A trigger control mechanism for machine gun mounts having cradle plates, said mechanism comprising a substantially rectangular base member of sheet metal, the parallel side portions of which are bent back upon themselves and then at right angles to form parallel spaced Walls, a

pair of stamped aligned ridges on the side of said base member opposite to said walls, a substantially U-shaped sheet metal body yoke disposed between said side walls and secured to the base member and said walls, said body yoke having laterally extending flanges on its outer edges, a. slide comprised of a substantially rectangular sheet with depending end tabs, the side edges being curved inwardly for sliding engagement with said iianges, a ring lug carried by said slide, a spacer element of sheet metal having a base portion and an intermediate upstanding buckled portion formed with a U-shaped slot, said base member having an opening therein the size of the base portion of the spacer element, and said body yoke having a slot, means for securing the spacer element to said body yoke with the base portion of said yoke disposed in the opening in said base member and the upstanding portion of the yoke extending through the slot in said yoke, a guide pin provided with an eye at one end and. a collar intermediate its length, said guide pin extending through oneend tab of said slide with the collar normally engaging said upstanding portion, a coil spring on said guide pin between said one end tab and said collar, and a second coil spring on said guide pin between said upstanding portion and the other end tab.

3. `A trigger control mechanism for machine gun mounts and the like, comprising, a. base member of sheet metal, the parallel side portions of which are bent back upon themselves and then at right angles to form parallel spaced walls, a substantially U-shaped sheet metal body yoke disposed between said side walls and secured to the base member and said walls, said body yoke having laterally extending flanges on its outer edges, a slide comprised of a substantially rectangular sheet with depending end tabs, the side edges being curved inwardly for sliding engagement with said anges, a firing lug carried by said slide, a spacer element of sheet metal having a base portion and an intermediate upstanding buckled portion formed with a U-shaped slot, said base member having an opening therein the size of the base portion of the spacer element and said body yoke having a slot, means for securing the spacer element to said body yoke with the base portion of -said yoke disposed in the opening in said base member and the upstanding portion of the yoke extending through the slot in said yoke, a guide pin provided with an eye at one end and a collar intermediate its length, said guide pin extending through one end tab of said slide with the collar normally engaging said up standing portion, and elastic means carried by Said guide pin oneach side of said upstanding portion.

WALTER H. DARDENNE. 

